How can you create a sense of urgency around culture change without overwhelming employees?

Imagine you're standing on a pier, looking out over the ocean. You want to take your team on a journey, there are 3 things you'll need to do to get them going. 1. Be clear about where you want to go, be visual, help people see a better place to be. This provides the "pull". 2. Show them the boat, and let them know it might not all be plain sailing. People have to know how to take the journey, what to "pack" and what to expect. 3. Set fire to the pier. This is the part that is most often forgotten, or avoided. One of the biggest forces to overcome in change is inertia, and the sense of comfort with the way things are, even if it's not great.

Don't just communicate the why, humanize it. If the culture you're seeking to change is harming individuals in your company, talk about those shared experiences (anonymize) to drive empathy and understanding within your teams. Data, data, data! Having data to support the business need for change (human or otherwise) is a phenomenal motivator to not only ensure you're making the right changes, but that you're able to tell a story with that data and bring others along with you.

Do not just explain a vision or a 'why' to your people. For true urgency, co-create it. A condition for urgency is ownership by your people. You will only achieve this by engaging 'the wisdom of the crowd' in your vision. This doesn't have to mean consulting every employee (although, it can - and easier now, with tech). A real and lasting culture change should have very obvious benefits for your people. Engaging them first might feel like it takes extra time, but it will save you endless time and frustration down the road.

As leaders its our responsibility to cast vision and purpose for the future. We must bring it to life by creating line of sight between the task and duties of each employees job and the difference that work makes in the lives of others.

Comunicar bem é o básico. Se os times n?o entender o porquê, n?o haverá o engajamento esperado. O desafio aqui é ajudá-los a conciliar as tarefas do dia a dia com as tarefas que as mudan?as exigem. Toda mudan?a gera ansiedade e desconfian?a, importante, dar clareza e fazer um bom trabalho de prioriza??o.

In my experience, a strong picture of success in a culture change initiative includes a clear answer to the often unspoken 'what is in it for me' question that we all have when engaging with change. In addition, demonstrating that the change sponsors will provide and support development of skills and resources required to make the shift, is equally important.

I would add that you need to build into your employee expectations what performance of those culture elements are. Incorporate those into employee feedback documents.

The power of Social Norms is real! If people think that other people are doing something that you are not then that will have an influence on their decisions. In the context of culture change, seeing their peers celebrating each other for role modelling the change will influence everyone around them. The easiest way to change a behaviour is by making people think that everyone around them is already doing it. You can use the Framing Effect to your advantage here too, by considering how you communicate the success of the behaviour change. "52 % of people are doing xyz" is the same as "did you know most of your colleagues are already doing xyz". That will have an impact.

It can be overwhelming to consider pulling everyone across an organization into culture change initiatives, but the more you do so, the better you will do at creating meaningful long-term change. The best place to start is by inviting feedback and responding to it. Oftentimes, we may ignore feedback we cannot act on- but again looking to the 'why' or the context can create such greater understanding. Also, as you are developing change plans, consider what unique role each level, department, team in your organization can play.

I great way to involve your teams in culture change is by creating culture committees. Through these monthly culture connections you bring a group of like minded individuals together to drive new areas of innovation and continued improvement to live out your mission.

Urgencia sí, Miedo no. Cuando las personas sienten miedo, reaccionan atacando o huyendo, pocos se prestan a colaborar en un proceso de cambio cultural que seguro precisa de todos ellos. Para introducir sentido de urgencia, debemos contar con mucha empatía, calibrando los retos y emociones que tiene cada grupo de interés o stakeholders, y así transmitir de manera clara que se entiende el esfuerzo que se les está solicitando y así poder reforzar que todo ello se está realizando en pro de un compromiso compartido. Comunicar claramente la necesidad y beneficios del cambio, mostrarse los líderes organizativos como sponsors del proceso o crear grupos híbridos de impulsores del cambio, resultan estrategias que refuerzan el sentido de urgencia.

Measure and Share Progress: Set measurable goals for the culture change and regularly communicate progress. Make sure that everyone sees their contribution towards the overall goal. Celebrate not only achievements and milestones but also role model behaviors to demonstrate the positive impact of the change efforts. Use feedback mechanisms, such as surveys or focus groups, to gauge employee sentiment and make adjustments to the communication strategy as needed.

Crear un sentido de urgencia efectivo en torno al cambio cultural no es solo una tarea de los líderes de la organización, sino una responsabilidad compartida por todos los miembros del equipo. Involucrar a las personas desde la definición de objetivos hasta la participación en la toma de decisiones y la expresión de sus opiniones crea un sentido de urgencia genuino basado en el compromiso y el propósito compartido. A través de una comunicación abierta y transparente, la participación activa y el reconocimiento del esfuerzo, tu organización estará mejor preparada para enfrentar los desafíos y aprovechar las oportunidades que el cambio cultural ofrece.

I say this often to my leaders, No one will be excited about anything we hope to accomplish unless we are excited about it first. We must educate, engage, and energize daily to activate our teams to be better together.

Aqui vale o famoso "se e somente se". Mudar cultura é mais complexo que mudar um produto, uma estratégia de go to market, etc. e geralmente quando se prop?e uma mudan?a de cultura é porque há algo urgente e fundamental para o futuro e até sobrevivência da organiza??o e portanto é urgente. Uma boa maneira de fazer isso é fazendo um bom mapa de prioriza??o botando os elementos de transforma??o cultural em destaque.

Education enables action. Fear is driven by the unknown. So engage, enable, and empower your teams to be at their best and deliver their best daily by giving them the time, tools, and training to be successful.

Un ejemplo común cuando transitamos un proceso de cambio son unos agentes que me gusta denominar "anticuerpos del cambio", son el producto de la mentalidad de "Esto siempre se ha hecho así", y pueden representar un obstáculo significativo en el proceso de cambio cultural. Sin embargo, al identificar las causas subyacentes de esta mentalidad y aplicar estrategias efectivas para abordarla, es posible fomentar una mentalidad más abierta y receptiva hacia el cambio en toda la organización. Al comunicar claramente los motivos del cambio, involucrar a las personas en el proceso y proporcionar apoyo y recursos, se puede superar la resistencia arraigada y crear un entorno propicio para la innovación, la adaptación y el crecimiento continuo.

Sim, v?o aparecer promotores e detratores e é importante ouvir a todos. Para uma mudan?a mais saudável e efetiva, é importante criar um canal de comunica??o perene e de fácil acesso a todos. Além disso, é importante preparar a lideran?a para apoiar como hubs de escuta em seus times.

Algumas pessoas n?o v?o se adaptar a nova cultura, e está tudo bem! Tratar o aumento de turnover durante o período de mudan?as com naturalidade pode ajudar a minimizar preocupa??es e deixar a nova cultura mais clara para quem fica.

Walk the talk. Botar as palavras em a??o é crucial para a mudan?a cultural. Aplicar comportamentos intencionalmente é de suma importancia. N?o adianta querer mudar sem mudar nada no dia a dia. Aqui vale até a famosa frase que diz 'seja a mudan?a que você quer ver'.

If you want to take your company culture from where it is today to where it potentially could be, you need to be committed and consistent. You have to lead by example and be a contagious energy that is undeniably seen, heard, and felt by everyone around you. You must have an all-in attitude for what it takes to be great. How do we win?! We go all in!

Primeiro, tome seu tempo para entender e aceitar as mudan?as. N?o converse com o time antes de se sentir comprado(a) com o motivo e a importancia da mudan?a. Depois, transmita com atitudes o que mudou e o que é esperado do seu time.

"Do what I say, not what I do" - nothing is quite as disengaging as this phrase. When it comes to culture, its always about action. Make sure you are aligning your actions with your changes deliberately.

According to culture expert Loran Nordgren, creating a sense of urgency for change shouldn't come at the cost of employee well-being. Here's how to support the change: Urgency through Inspiration, not Fear: - Focus on the "why": Paint a compelling vision of the future state and how it benefits everyone. - Celebrate small wins: Highlight progress and positive steps, fostering enthusiasm and engagement. - Empower action: Provide clear roles and responsibilities, motivating employees to contribute. - Open communication: Address concerns transparently, building trust and reducing anxiety. - Focus on learning and growth: Frame change as an opportunity for development, not just an imposition. Remember, urgency and well-being can coexist!

It can be easy to create and execute change and then check if off the list, but culture is fluid and ongoing. Make sure you have planned check-ins and follow up and plan to adjust as needed.

What dictates the need for culture change? People's unhappiness with things as they are. So change that seeks to foster a culture desired by the collective won't overwhelm them. Because it will be answering their call! Give people the culture change THEY are clamoring for. And watch them feel better about the workplace, their experiences, management, rewards, how they are treated, career prospects. This tends to translate as more focused and engaged colleagues, performance uptick, reduction in the static prevalent when cultures need fixing. Imagine what improvement will mean for business, or nonprofit mission!

It's a joy to work with teams who are proactively shaping a healthier, more open, fulfilling and innovative culture, however this work rarely has an "urgency" about it. It's more likely to be a strategic, intentional priority. Unfortunately, urgency often arises when harm, stress and damage from an unhealthy culture becomes unbearable or untenable . This becomes a catalyst to suddenly warrant "urgent" action. Examples include: 1. Sudden risk of reputation damage 2. Whistleblowing revelations 3. Critical shortages of people willing or able to work in the team 4. Breakdown of trust to the point where work can no longer be effectively done 5. People becoming acutely ill - often with work-related mental distress Sad, but true.

For me, building Psychological Safety in the team is a must for all Managers. A lot of communication can be made bit if members to not trust what is being said or do not feel their voice can be heard, then this becomes a true barrier